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Mercedes off to a flier at Bathurst

Mark Fogarty, Bathurst

IF THERE is such a thing as an omen in motor racing, Erebus Motorsport's domination of the Bathurst 12 Hour on Sunday bodes extremely well for its V8 Supercar ambitions.

Just six days before Erebus' new Mercedes-Benz V8 Supercar takes to the track for the first time, the team delivered the German manufacturer a stunning victory at the famous Mount Panorma circuit.

Dodging accidents and incidents that ended challenges from the leading Ferrari and Audi teams, German GT sports car racer Alexander Roloff brought home his Mercedes SLS AMG comfortably in front at the end of a dramatic day-long race.

It was nearly a 1-2 sweep for the three-pointed star squad, with the second SLS running a strong second until lead driver Lee Holdsworth crashed on the rain-slicked track with a little more than an hour to go.

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With compatriot co-drivers Bernd Schneider and Thomas Jaeger, Roloff won the Bathurst 12 Hour by more than a lap of the 6.2-kilometre circuit from the Ferrari of veteran V8 endurance race co-driver Craig Baird.

Rising V8 star Shane van Gisbergen was third, a further lap behind in his Porsche 911.

Anchored by some inspired driving by semi-retired, five-time German touring car champion Schneider, 48, the lead Erebus trio kept their SLS out of the carnage that caused the safety car to be deployed 15 times.

A brief downpour with just over 1½ hours to go caused some anxious moments and led to the undoing of the second Mercedes.

Keeping station behind Schneider, Holdsworth - one of several V8 Supercar drivers in the race - miscued in the slippery conditions on the top section of the hillside circuit, damaging the front suspension.

After a long delay for repairs, Holdsworth's teammate and fellow V8 racer Tim Slade returned to the track to help salvage sixth place.

With the third member of their all-Australian crew, local GT racer Peter Hackett, behind the wheel at the finish, they finished just five laps behind the winners.

Watched by senior executives and engineers from Mercedes' AMG customer sport racing division, which assisted with the running of the two V8-powered GT3-spec SLS ''gullwing'' coupes, Erebus Motorsport's winning performance couldn't have been better timed.

It has bought former stalwart Ford team Stone Brothers Racing, switching from Falcons to all-new Mercedes-Benz AMG E63s.

With no factory support, Klimenko is funding the project, reputedly budgeting $20 million over three years, including paying AMG to develop a V8 Supercar version of the SLS's engine.

Erebus will field three Mercedes for Holdsworth, Slade and new German signing Maro Engel, an accomplished touring car and GT racer in Europe.

The new team is in a race against time to be ready for Saturday's V8 Supercar pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park and then the season-opening March 1-3 Adelaide 500.

Seen only in spy shots from a secret test session so far, the new Mercedes V8 racers will be unveiled by Erebus Motorsport at a gala team launch at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday night.

■Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, in a Volkswagen, edged closer to victory in the Rally of Sweden on Saturday when he kept world champion and compatriot Sebastian Loeb behind him in second spot.

Ogier, who has led the race since the second stage, has a 26.9 second advantage over his Citroen rival, while Norway's Mads Ostberg, in a Ford Focus, took third place from Volkswagen's Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala.

''Ogier has done really well,'' said nine-time world champion Loeb, who won the season-opener in Monte Carlo.

''He showed that he deserves to win this race. On Friday, he was untouchable and on Saturday, when we put him under pressure, he remained faultless. Until now, he has driven the perfect rally.''

Ogier said he was exhausted by the effort.

''I am really tired because this rally really takes it out of you. Between each stage, you have to change the tyres, break the ice on the car, it never ends,'' said the Volkswagen driver.